Author
Habakkuk
Prophet
Written
c. 612–605 BC
Chapters
3
Audience
The people of Judah
Habakkuk's first complaint: he cries out to God about the injustice and violence he sees in Judah.
Chapter 1Read in Bible
God's first response: He announces that He is raising up the Babylonians as an instrument of judgment.
Chapter 1 → Chapter 5Read in Bible
Habakkuk's second complaint: he questions why God would use a nation more wicked than Judah to punish His people.
Chapter 1 → Chapter 12Read in Bible
God's second response: He commands Habakkuk to write the vision and declares that the righteous shall live by faith.
Chapter 2Read in Bible
Five woes pronounced: God pronounces judgment on Babylon for its pride, greed, violence, and idolatry.
Chapter 2 → Chapter 6Read in Bible
Habakkuk's prayer and vision: the prophet recounts God's mighty acts in history and envisions His coming in power to save His people.
Chapter 3 → Chapter 1Read in Bible
Habakkuk's declaration of faith: the prophet resolves to rejoice in God and trust Him even if all earthly comforts fail.
Chapter 3 → Chapter 16Read in Bible
"See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness—"
Habakkuk 2:4"The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him."
Habakkuk 2:20"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior."
Habakkuk 3:17–18"How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, 'Violence!' but you do not save?"
Habakkuk 1:2Habakkuk records the prophet's bold dialogue with God, wrestling with why the Lord allows injustice in Judah and why He would use the wicked Babylonians as an instrument of judgment. God's responses reveal that He is sovereign over all nations and history, and that the righteous must live by faith. The book concludes with a powerful psalm of praise, affirming trust in God even in the most desperate circumstances.